No Flying in Draenor Until 6.1

One of the controversial announcements in Warlords of Draenor is the decision to have Draenor be ground-mount only until Patch 6.1. This means no flying mounts, even if you're level 100, until the first major patch hits.

Bashiok explained the reasoning behind this today, citing the following:

Previous expansions did not allow players to fly when leveling up--Warlords of Draenor will work in the same way.

Blizzard is happy with how Isle of Thunder and Timeless Isle were max level zones with only ground mounts, and thinks level 100 players in Warlords will be similarly successful.

Flying trivializes combat--you can just leave combat at will. Imagine what dungeons or battlegrounds would be like if you could fly--the experience would be cheapened.

The pacing of outdoor zones is thrown off by flying combat. Zones suddenly appear much smaller since traveling is fast, mountains and other striking scenery is diminished when you can just fly there, and the sense of exploration is toned down.

Bashiok

There's a lot of discussion about flying/not-flying and I'd like to try to sum things up and maybe realign the discussion a bit. Some of the other threads are near-cap, some have really gone down tangents, so I'm just picking this one to throw a reply into. Apologies to the other threads.

We intend to disallow flying while leveling from 90 to 100, and have flying become available again in the first major patch for Warlords of Draenor.

No flying while leveling has been the case during Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and Mists of Pandaria. We allowed flying during Cataclysm because as those zones were mixed-in with the 1-60 world it just would have been really jarring to dismount you as you fly into Hyjal, etc. but we would have disallowed it for Catalcysm zones as well if there was a reasonable solution there.

Flying trivializes combat. A lot of people like to say we're trying to force world PvP, or that we just really want people to look at the pretty trees we made, but those really aren't the reasons that drive this same decision we've made every expansion. Flying allows you to escape or enter combat at-will. There's a reason why flying isn't allowed in dungeons and raids, or battlegrounds and arenas, and that's because it would trivialize the core mechanic of the game in those areas - combat. For much the same reason it trivializes how content is approached in the outdoor world based on the simple fact that you can lift off and set down wherever you like.

So that's the main reason. But sure there are a lot of other problems it can cause for content design such as zones having to get a lot bigger because flying mounts can travel so quickly (and thus making ground travel in them take much longer), it reduces the impact of elevation within zones, it completely removes the ability for us to pace or present content in any structured way, and in general removes our ability to determine how and when players approach a situation, see a vista or location, or charge into/out-of a combat situation. It just greatly reduces any gameplay we want to create by allowing infinite choice in how content is approached to best suit a player's intention to (usually) avoid that content.

I totally sympathize with people's desire to do that, they want to be efficient and have it be their choice, but we have to balance our intent to create a game against creating a sandbox where anything goes. There's a happy medium there somewhere, but flying mounts in most cases just do too much to undermine too many of our core intentions with the game world, the basis of the game: combat, or guiding players through a game experience, and for those reasons we have continually chosen (when we could) to disallow flying mounts in the 'current' outdoor content. In the past that's meant only while leveling, but in our experiences with the Isle of Thunder and Timeless Isle we feel like we can extend that for a bit longer in the new content, and have it be kind of a big deal again once you're able to earn flying in the first big content patch, and in the meantime putting focus on flight paths as well as having some more interesting travel options for players to use.

Comment by Monday

Comment by hstella

meh it would be fine, i hope that when 6.1 release i have hit 100 and fly,

Comment by Tarmac

on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 20:39:17 -0600

This is horrible. Absolutely horrible.

Comment by Fireborne13

on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 20:41:05 -0600

I like this idea of keeping it ground level, but what ever happened to that idea of air combat? It kinda took seed in WotLK and got a little of a boost in Cata, but it never got into a mass system that would allow for big air battles or something like that. Just a suggestion though, I think it would be awesome personally.

Comment by Monday

on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 20:42:31 -0600

It kinda took seed in WotLK ... but it never got into a mass system that would allow for big air battles or something like that.

Because it sucked in Wrath.

Comment by velvetgeisha

on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 20:43:37 -0600

I actually think this might be a good idea o_o (I never thought i'd say that xD!)

Comment by kane

on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 20:44:03 -0600

"WTF? Let me know when 6.1 is out so I can Sub again." Is what I keep hearing from people time after time. Oh god I wish I could have a poll of age verse gate on the subject. I feel like little kids who needs their CoD impulses or something nasty are hating the idea.

I would pay premium for server that just removed any and all Flying mounts that offered more hardcore features. I think this is a great step in the right direction. Blizzard has been carebearing their players way to much and need to keep ties with their long time supporters and the people who made what blizzard is today. Not just every casual kid out on the planet.

Comment by Jassy24

on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 20:44:09 -0600

Terrible idea I think it will keep a lot of players away. I myself dread the no flying...hated lvling on pandaria without it (mostly once alts came into play) and questing in the no fly areas ugh...

Comment by Talyrius

on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 20:44:25 -0600

I'm willing to acquiesce.

Comment by Thror

on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 20:46:37 -0600

Kudos Blizzard, this is a great announcement.

Comment by angelofdeath666

on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 20:50:50 -0600

well they're not wrong. it'll do us good to use our ground mounts a bit more :)

Comment by JDLKY

on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 20:52:57 -0600

I disagree. Once I hit 100 I have seen all the local dirt I want to see. No flying at that point is wasting my time. Bad Idea.

Comment by Fatgai

on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 21:03:43 -0600

"WTF? Let me know when 6.1 is out so I can Sub again." Is what I keep hearing from people time after time. Oh god I wish I could have a poll of age verse gate on the subject. I feel like little kids who needs their CoD impulses or something nasty are hating the idea.

I'm 27, been playing since the day the game released in 2004 (when I was 18), so I think that qualifies me as "not a kid" and a "long time supporter and person who made what blizzard is today" and I have no intention of playing beyond leveling (if I even purchase this expansion) if there is no flying for the first 3-4 months of the expansion. Just because you have a differing view than I doesn't mean you get to claim that you speak for every "long time supporter" just like I don't.

This post by Bashiok, however, says two conflicting things. "We plan to disallow flying from 90-100" and "we plan to re-implement it in the first major patch" does not unequivocally state "no flying until 6.1" No flying while leveling is one thing (though I abhorred the lack of a way to get it on alts for quicker leveling like in Wrath) but no flying *at all* until 3-4 months into the expansion is ridiculous.

But again, he's not saying that unequivocally. He's saying "It'll be the same as every expansion that had flying before (except Cataclysm)" which does not equal "no flying until 6.1"

Comment by Rainemard

on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 21:04:35 -0600

Meh, no real opinion. It'll make the leveling experience fine (same as it always was), but gathering is going to be a pain - hello Garrison! Honestly it's not a huge inconvenience, but I probably won't be inclined to play much till 6.1.

Comment by Zeues

on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 21:04:58 -0600

I don't see what all the fuss is about, flying or not, as this is blizzards game, each time a new patch/xpac hits we all have to agree to the ToU and EULA before we log into the game, so what ever they do is fine with me. :)

Comment by Gloomier

on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 21:05:20 -0600

The game has evolved quite a bit, and I think we can all agree that we are far too content with having flying mounts. Blizzard is creating this engaging new content for us, yet we would rather be able to fly and avoid things that could potentially cause us trouble (world pvp, possibility in getting dazed, hitting a geographical pit fall, etc...). I don't know how many of us remember, but there will be a lot more to zones now than just questing. It would be stupid to make dynamic events and such and allow people to miss them completely. Once the new stuff comes out, I am confident people will welcome this decision to wait before being allowed to use flight.

Comment by kerymi2

on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 21:14:17 -0600

I think this is a good idea myself, chances to explore, etc, sure it might be an inconvenience but they did say 1st patch flying will be allowed. kudos blizz for revamping outland, well needed and I will be happy to enjoy the scenery, we did it in outland till we reached 60 or could afford flying so what's the big deal, timeless has no flying, thunder isle and those areas are crowded all the time. and Kane I agree with ur statement about carebearing be happy u will have an immediate jump to lvl 90 to even be able to play the area as it starts. thanks Blizzard for this awesome looking expansion.